Children living in extreme poverty in Brazil are often excluded from the support systems necessary for their development. Consequently, a large number of them drop out of school and resort to begging, drugs, prostitution and face the dangers of living on the streets. Estimates on the numbers of Brazilian street children vary from 200,000 to 8 million[1]. They find themselves increasingly isolated from their own communities and disillusioned with life.

Action for Brazil’s Children Trust (ABC Trust) is one of the few international NGOs working on the ground across Brazil that supports a variety of locally-run projects that gives disadvantaged children the opportunity to transform their lives by providing much needed nurturing, education and training.

“Being able to access some of the best legal minds on a number of key projects has been critical to progressing our work. We have an on-going relationship with iProbono and turn to them for whatever legal needs we may have.”
Katrina Dick
Chairperson, ABC Trust

By collaborating and providing essential financial support, ABC Trust has built strong partnerships with community-led local organisations to take the lead in overcoming the problems of extreme poverty that affect many children across Brazil. These projects bolster the children’s self-esteem and encourage their creativity through dance, film, drama, music, and sports.

iProbono is ABC Trust’s go to advisor on legal help and has provided continual support on a number of projects to strengthen its efforts. These include:

• Engaging lawyers from Bird & Bird and Vodafone to work on a sponsorship agreement with TUI Travel for the Street Child World Cup.
• Obtaining instrumental legal advice from DLA Piper on internal matters, including a sub-lease of premises and and VAT advice.
• Arranging a lease assignment with the assistance of Kirsty Morley, a Real Estate Senior Associate on sabbatical.
• Bringing the commercial acumen of lawyers from Fieldfisher and MTV to put in place the necessary venue and talent contracts for ABC Trust’s music festival Festinho.
• Introducing leading Brazilian law firm, Matthos Filho, to provide assistance to ABC Trust when assistance has been needed on the ground.

[1] According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Country Profile on Street Children.